(Path of the Dragon Mage: Exiled) 51. A Deadly Bouquet (Patreon)

"Anita Cartwright?" Vesper demanded, eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"I'm concerned about her treatment among the existing staff. You know how jealous servants can be," Corvus said in a lazy drawl that even to his ears sounded like his father. "Once I am assured of her safety and treatment, you and I can discuss how to best deal with the egg."

Vesper stared at him as if she were trying to see down to his soul. He wondered if she had taken more of an active role in his upbringing, if she would've been able to know he was lying. Mothers supposedly did.

She must have assumed his sudden change in attitude was a clumsy attempt at leverage. But one she could appreciate because she nodded and stood from the desk to stride to the door.

Following, Corvus was surprised to see Captain Landry awaiting them just outside the null room.

One of his three options had been to request to speak to him. He wondered what would have happened had he followed that path.

No matter. He had chosen hedge witch, and he had no regrets.

As Vesper spoke to Captain Landry, Corvus turned his attention back to the alerts which had been flashing for his attention.

Several new tantalizing menus popped up before his eyes.

Ding!

You have (2) class points to spend. Please choose your new class attributes:

— Manna Manipulation —

An attribute of higher manna control, allowing you to fine tune rune based spells.

— Rune Crafter —

An attribute to allow easier creation of runes in rarer mediums. Higher levels are required for fine craftsmanship.

— Rune Sight —

Vision enhancement to aid in the discovery, application, and manipulation of runes.

— Herb Witchery —

A suite of rune herb and herb-lore skills to strengthen or change rune spells.

— Rune Lore —

The greater ability to combine, separate, and understand existing spell glyphs inside runes. Higher levels result in greater spell flexibility.

He wanted them all.

No option hinted that his new hedge witch class would grant access to elemental magic. Instead, he seemed to be sinking deeper into his rune magic.

He had thought he put the yearning for his own elemental Talent behind him, but seeing the ease in which Vesper manipulated air had reopened that wound.

It was an old hurt. One that he pushed aside.

Vesper's conversation with the Landry finished up. She turned to him. "Your… friend has been assigned to the stables. Let's get this over with."

Corvus nodded, and as they walked out of the Lord's room and through the manor, he read through the list of perspective attributes again.

There were three standouts: Manna Manipulation, Rune Lore, and Rune Sight.

After some consideration, he spent his first point on Rune Sight.

Larissa had shown him how powerful vision-based abilities could be. Discovering new and varied runes was a large part of the reason why he had chosen the Hedge Witch class.

The second choice was harder. He had almost died several times due to underestimating the mana cost to charge a new rune. But, did he need to focus on fine control when his mana well was so much larger, and he had Second Wind to help cover a deficit?

He wanted his magic to be as versatile as possible. Finding new runes would aid him, but if his end goal was to be as equally as powerful as an elemental magic user… Rune Lore should be his choice.

He applied those two points.

Ding!

Attribute, Rune Sight has been added to your attribute list.

Attribute Rune Lore has been added to your attribute list.

Ding!

You have a new skill:

Rune Lore - Beginner 1

Ding!

Rune Sight has enhanced your Night Vision attribute. You are now able to see the approximate cost of a rune charge.

Ding!

Thanks to your new level of rune insight, rune spell stability has been increased by 5% across all drawn or carved runes.

Shoulders squaring, he lengthened his stride, feeling like a true hedge witch.

It was with a nasty shock that he turned and saw his mother observing him carefully. No doubt, wondering why he had such a satisfied look on his face.

Well, let her think what she wished. She had her powers over the wind but he was officially a hedge witch. She had no idea the secrets literally hidden up his sleeves, drawn on scraps of paper.

* * *

There was little space on this cliffside manor. As such, the stables and horse training areas had been carved out of the rock into a large cave. No doubt done by members of the Monger house with Earth talent.

As they approached, Corvus wondered why the Path system urged him to speak to Gwen? Were there new runes in his cave? A hidden aspect of hedge-witchery?

As he entered the stables, he heard NightShade's brassy native greeting. The large horse was stabled in his own stall near to the front.

Gwen stood not far from the stallion's stable, pitchfork in hand as she shoved new straw in.

She was dressed simply in a sturdy but new work tunic and pants. Her still free of clan ribbons was tied up in a bun. She looked both annoyed and sweaty at the work, but looked up and smiled as she saw him.

He quickened his pace to reach her before Landry or his mother could.

"Are you okay?" he asked in an undertone.

She nodded, not bothering to bow deferentially as any servant would upon being visited by their Lord. "They've treated me well enough."

"Why didn't you escape last night?" he asked.

Her gaze darkened and she muttered, "Guards all over the place, and they shut the front gate." She broke off, ducking her head as Vesper reached them.

"Well, isn't this… a lovely reunion?" Vesper all but looked down her nose at the girl. Or she would have if Gwen wasn't her height. "As you can see, Corvus, Miss Cartwright is being well taken care of."

"It's our priority to make sure our staff is well taken care of, Mother," he said neutrally.

She sniffed, then her attention turned to Gwen. "Captain Landry says you have a dab hand with the horses."

Any servant should have curtsied at being addressed, but Gwen only nodded warily.

"Let's see it, then. I remember you brought your own horse. Some fine, black beast. Bring it out into the arena."

Corvus blinked. What was she up to? "Mother, I don't think that's necessary—"

"I believe it is." Vesper smiled tightly at Gwen. "It's unusual to see a young girl have control of such a fine beast."

There was an undercurrent he did not like in her voice.

"The horse was Master Solt's," Corvus said. "He told me he was allowed to keep him after he retired. That breed tends to form a bond with one person."

"How quaint," Vesper said with no smile on her face. "Do as I say, Anita."

Gwen shot Corvus a questioning look. At his reluctant nod, she turned to go unstable NightShade.

Vesper took Corvus his arm and walked him to the arena which was a circular paddock inside the cave structure. Half sat against the enclosed stone wall while the open sides were bordered with high wooden fencing.

"You seem distracted, my son, and not just by the pretty girl."

He fought to keep wariness off his face but knew he didn't succeed when she beamed up at him. "What do you mean?"

She smiled. "I've seen that look on other's faces, when the wind tells them secrets."

She had seen him interacting with his Path system, then.

He shrugged. "I was lost in thought."

"Your manners have grown rough in your weeks away from the palace." She paused and posed the next question as if she had not been waiting to ask it. "Have you developed your magical talents?"

"No," he said surprised. "I told you that already."

"I know what you told me." Another pause. "Can I let you in on a little secret?"

The last time she asked this, she'd divulged she had charmed his father into infertility. Corvus's eyebrows rose. "Go ahead."

But instead of answering, Vesper turned. Gwen had brought NightShade to the arena and stood at the fenced gate, looking confused.

"That's right, Anita. Let the horse run. I want to see how he moves." Then she turned to Corvus. "When I was four years old, my father, Lord Shield, threw me into a pond. Of course, I couldn't swim. But as I struggled to keep my head above water, the Air came to my call."

His lips flattened into a thin line. "Do you intend to throw me into a lake?"

"Hardly." She laughed. "At the time, I was a third child. Expandable. You asked why you were sheltered and protected in the palace? It's because you were the only child I could bear. I had to keep you safe… But nor were you ever given incentive for the elements to come at your call."

With that, she flicked her fingers, and a cracking sound shot through the arena.

NightShade squealed and shot forward as if something had bitten his rump.

Another flick from Vesper and this time Corvus saw the disruption of air as a zephyr made of grasping teeth nipped at the horse’s heels.

NightShade bucked and darted to the side so abruptly he nearly ran into the stone wall in the back before he pulled himself short, turned, and raced in the other direction. The zephyr dogged at his steps.

"NightShade!" Gwen yelled. She stepped to the gate, but two of Landry's guards grabbed her to haul her back. Gwen cried out and twisted, but she was no match for two full-grown men.

Corvus rounded on Vesper. "Stop this!"

"You could stop me," Vesper's tone was unconcerned. "Call on the air, the earth, or fire."

"NightShade!" Gwen's scream cut through Corvus like a knife. "Stop it! You're scaring him!"

The horse was panicked now, kicking and bucking against literal biting winds. There were no marks on him, but the invisible stings were driving him into a frenzy.

"Mother! You've made your point!" Corvus reached for Vesper's wrist. Landry moved so fast he had to have been waiting for that moment. Grabbing Corvus, he yanked his arm behind his back. Corvus reached for one of the knives he had stuffed under the strap of his belt, but a second guard came to immobilize his other arm.

"It's a matter of leverage, my son," Vesper said boredly, twiddling her fingers to direct the wind into whipping NightShade into a froth of fear and anger. He was a very intelligent horse, but still a horse. "And it's clear you have a soft spot for the girl... and she cares about the horse."

"I can't call wind!" he yelled, frustrated. His words were lost above the stallion's screams.

"Corvus! Do something!" Gwen begged.

Desperately, he tried to reach for the air in the way he'd always been told should be possible. He dived his focus into the hard-packed earth under his boots. Tried to call fire to his fingertips.

As always, there was nothing.

All he had were his runes, and with his arms pinned, he couldn't reach them.

Vesper must have read the frustration on his face. She rolled her eyes. "Then tell me where you've hidden the egg. No more games,"

He gasped. "I put it in the ashes of the stables as they burned!"

But on the heels of his words came a terrible crashing sound.

NightShade, frothing at the mouth, had tried to jump the arena fence to escape his invisible torment. But he hadn't gathered enough speed and crashed down upon it, instead.

There was a terrible snap and a scream from both horse and Gwen. The stallion went down, kicking. One of his front legs was visibly broken.

"There," Vesper said. "That wasn't so hard."

The winds calmed and with a twist borne by panic Gwen reached to bite one of the restraining arms. The man shouted and she broke his grip, darting to her downed horse.

"Let go of me!" Corvus demanded.

At Vesper's nod, the guards let him go.

Corvus sprinted to NightShade's side. The horse was still down, sweat covering his heaving flanks, but had stopped his desperate kicking. Gwen held his head, sobbing.

None of the soldiers followed. They stood back, visibly uncomfortable. Vesper merely looked bored. She clearly wanted to get this over with before she went to the serious business of retrieving the egg.

Corvus turned his back to her. "Gwen…"

She shook her head, face a mask of tears.

"Gwen, I can help, but you must hold him still."

She looked up, shocked. Then it hit her. "The healing runes?" She whispered. "They'll work on horses?"

He nodded stiffly. "Tell him that as soon as I'm done, he's going to need to run. We all are."

Gwen quickly bent her head to whisper in NightShade's ear. The horses' wildly rolling eyes took less of a crazed look.

Behind him, he heard murmurs of 'putting the horse out of its misery'. They'd given him and Gwen a few moments, but not long after.

Taking a small square of parchment out of his pocket, he withdrew his single blade kunai and nicked his thumb.

NightShade had stopped kicking, but Corvus still bent over the horses' back to look. The gash had peeled back the skin, showing visibly cracked bone. The leg was thankfully straight, however.

Splashing his own blood across the back of the paper, Corvus reached over the horse and slapped the Knit Bone rune as close to the gash as he could reach. A strange haze of green seemed to overlay the rune — no doubt due to his Rune Sight ability.

Somehow, he knew, this new color was connected to his mana pool. Green was good.

"What is he doing?" he heard Vesper demand. She was too late to stop him.

He pushed mana through the rune and it flashed into blue brilliance. When it dimmed a moment later, the bone was whole.

Thankfully, he had kept the medical runes in the same pocket, and it was the work of a moment to replace the spent Knit Bone rune with Knit Flesh.

"What is that? What—Stop him!" Vesper yelled.

He felt the winds stir.

The Knit Flesh rune flashed into light. and in the next second NightShade rolled to his feet, his whole, uninjured leg easily baring his weight.

Corvus still gripped his kunai in his hand. To his new Rune Sight, it was hazed in yellow. He assumed because he had just used two runes in a row and his mana well was half full. Chancy to use the mana-hungry Deadly Bouquet, but he had no choice.

Holding it in his bloody hand, he charged the knife and threw. It landed, blade first, a foot from Vesper's feet. A noxious green gas rose up.

The outcry was immediate. Two of the quicker guards had nearly reached Corvus, but at that moment NightShade rolled to his feet and stood on uninjured legs. The stallion reared up, teeth bared and hooves flashing. Gwen too, charged screaming at them, every bit as fierce as her horse… though with far less effect.

Corvus twisted to help… but at that moment wind whistled around his ears.

Vesper had drawn a tight cyclone of wind around herself. It kept her safe, but gas that was heavier than air was sucked up and thrown dispersed around the soldiers who had run to her aid.

Landry gagged, lurching away with his hands at his throat.

Within seconds the air of the cave was full of a thickening green fog. Men all around started coughing.

Ding!

Poison resistance activated. (Level 1.)

You will lose 1HP every 30 seconds you are exposed to poison.

His poison resistance was still at level one. Corvus breathed in and felt an uncomfortable burn down his air pipe. It was equivalent to a sore throat.

The soldiers, however, were gasping and choking...

... And so was Gwen.

He rushed over, pulling her away from the soldier she'd been trying to fight. The man reached, but fell to his knees, gagging on the air.

NightShade had chased a soldier to the other end of the arena where the gas had not yet reached. He was merrily trampling the poor man by the time they caught up.

Gwen staggered to NightShade's side. She was suffering, but was a horse-girl by blood and swung herself up on NightShade's bare back. Corvus did the same to settle himself behind her.

Then Gwen reached up to press her pendant hidden under her work tunic. Suddenly, Corvus could not see his arms where they wrapped around her waist or the stallion under his legs.

NightShade rocketed towards the open stable doors at the other end of the cave.

Corvus risked a glance behind them. The gas was still rising, flung about by Vesper's cyclone. It was hard to see details through the fog, but knew his mother had enough control of the air to keep herself safe.

Her men were collapsing... dying.

You have killed an enemy soldier for 200 XP

You have killed an enemy soldier for 200 XP

You have killed an enemy soldier for 200 XP

Pained, he minimized the notifications.

Within a few moments, they were clear of the stables and galloping down the long sloping cliffside. Several servants gave confused looks as they heard, but did not see, a horse run past.

Corvus's throat felt raw from the gas, but Gwen's breathing had taken a ragged edge. She gasped out words he couldn't understand, followed by choking coughs.

"Don't talk… Here, this might help." He pulled his Tooth Trophy Necklace and over his head and, by feel, settled it around her neck.

Instantly he felt weaker, more tired, his balance on the galloping horse much less steady. The stamina, strength, and speed bonuses were gone. He grit his teeth and pushed through. If there was a chance the poison resistance could help Gwen, though...

If it helped, she made no indication. She coughed again.

"Gate," she rasped.

He looked ahead. The gate barring the road to the estate was closed and the walls on either side were much too high for any horse to jump — even NightShade.

And the gate was manned by a lone guard.

Seeing him, Corvus's stomach clenched.

"Gwen, stop your pendant charm. He needs to see us."

She did and they were visible again. She looked awful. Her skin had gone deathly pale, her lips cherry red and open as she gasped for air.

She was suffering, they had to escape before he could see about healing her.

The guard's eyes widened when he saw the large horse and two riders appear out of nowhere. NightShade didn't miss a step and within moments they had drawn close enough for Corvus to recognize his face.

It was the spy.

"Help us," Corvus said. "Open the gate!"

The spy hesitated. If he was hired by Corvus's father, he could kill them right now. If he was his mother's employee, he could stop them by keeping the gate closed.

Corvus and NightShade might be able to fight past him, but it would take time they didn't have.

A small, secretive smile appeared on the spy's face. He gave a courtly bow.

"Yes, Prince Corvus."

Then he reached for the latch.

"Thank you," Corvus said, sagging.

Gwen was bent over, heaving, looking like she was trying not to throw up or pass out. Corvus wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her steady. The moment the gate was wide enough to let them through, he kicked NightShade forward.

As he did, he reached around to the pendant to activate it again. They vanished from sight even as NightShade thundered down the road.

The spy closed the gate behind them and returned to his post, standing before it as if nothing had happened at all.